I’m looking for technical help or recommendations on:
While replacing my fuel filter, I spotted that the brake pipe that runs from the front to the back was badly corroded where it runs through the rearmost clip under the floor of the car.
I’ve bought some copper nickel pipe and an SAE flaring tool to make up a new pipe. What I’m really struggling to find is the correct male unions to go on the new pipe. The correct part is M10x1 but for an SAE (inverted/double) flare, which seems to be an unusual combination. I’ve been to all the local parts places but haven’t had any joy finding the right part. Mazda only sell the full pipe + nuts which though not too expensive I’ve no confidence I could fix with the car on axle stands due to it’s complex shape and tight routing. The old parts aren’t in great shape at the back so I don’t want to reuse them either.
Has anyone had the same issue and managed to source the right unions?
The rearmost one it very crusty. Also I wanted i be able to make up a blank so I could get the old pipe off without draining all the fluid. It’s an ABS car and I don’t want air in the ABS pump.
I’ve managed to get some fully threaded ones which do have a small internal chamfer that don’t seem to crush the flares like the first ones I got did (tested using some old brake hoses). I’ve also ordered some others from a few different eBay sellers that look promising in the pictures. Waiting to see what turns up. Very few listing state which flare type the unions are for, which I would have thought was fairly vital info. Even the GSF catalog doesn’t give the flare type in it’s listings.
With this being a pretty common job I assuming that this would be a well trodden path and I was just not using the right search terms or just overthinking it. It’s entirely possible anything listed as ‘fully threaded’ will do but I can’t find a source to confirm that
There are a lot of rubbish flaring tools and steel brake pipe pretending to be nickel but I thought the fittings were generally reliable on all, even the totally dishonest and generally useless Chinese ebay listings. Double flare is the standard on MX5.
Yes, bought some cheap eBay flaring tools before biting the bullet and buying the Draper Expert one. It consistently produces nice double flares. On the cheap version I bought first the hole was slightly too small so it marked and crushed the pipe.
Managed to get the old pipe off and have spent the afternoon copying it. Many, many bends . Hopefully postie will bring the other unions I’ve ordered this week and if they’re OK I’ll be able to finish it off and get it on the car.
Having bought all the tools etc it would have been cheaper to have just bought the pipe from Mazda, but where’s the fun in that . Going to replace the one that goes across the rear subframe too while I’m at it, which might get me back in the black Vs buying the parts.
. Hopefully postie will bring the other unions I’ve ordered this week and if they’re OK I’ll be able to finish it off and get it on the car.
. Going to replace the one that goes across the rear subframe too while I’m at it, which might get me back in the black Vs buying the parts.